Behind Closed Doors
by KenSan1990
Summary: It's the first time in many years that Kaiba has had interaction with anyone from Yugi's group of friends. So how is it that Yami ends up getting stabbed? And on his behalf? And why is it that he questions his feelings as he gives CPR? YYxSK
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was more or less an idea that started when I was bored in math class. Weird, that's where most of them show up, actually. This is only a test, to be honest. I just want to see how I feel about working off this kind of pairing. It's new to me. So without further ado:

* * *

Behind Closed Doors.

Loneliness had crept up on Kaiba Seto like a turtle. For a long time, he could see it coming but it had yet to brush against his ankles. Now, he found himself growing tired and could see that his nights were no longer consumed with inventions and propositions. Business, of course, lingered with him like a bad itch that never went away. But, after Mokuba grew older, business was almost ready to be set on the backburner.

How old was Mokuba now?

Twenty years old—Kaiba answered himself immediately. He was now a proud parent of a grown child. Mokuba was running some of the divisions of Kaiba Corporation. He was also taking classes at university. But there was one detail that he'd begun to notice rising to prominence:

Mokuba was romantically involved.

Kaiba had seen it coming. Mokuba was had had crushes since he was twelve, and dated Rebecca Hawkins when he was fifteen. Since then, Kaiba never pried in his brother's romantic endeavors. In fact, he never inquired about them either. Not until Mokuba asked if he could bring home a girl from university.

Kaiba tepidly agreed. Yet, as he did, it brought into perspective how little time he had devoted on those endeavors despite, recently, have more time than Mokuba to pursue them.

No one struck his fancy. No one stood out in the crowd, blazing, telling him that they were the right person. Almost everyone seemed to want only the money or the luxury, nothing more. It was like selling to the highest bidder. Even other company heads had offered their daughters (and a few sons) to Kaiba if it meant expanding their pocketbooks. It terrified him that some offered their children when their children were barely out of middle school.

It also hit him that he was pushing thirty and sex, while supposedly a must in society, never crossed his mind as much as he felt it should. He wasn't a virgin, and he had dated, but nothing ever took hold of him or made his heart flutter.

So he found himself walking through the park at close to midnight. He wasn't there by accident; he had gone intentionally to find a cure to his loneliness. Supposedly he was meeting someone, but for all he could see, the park was empty and his venture was likely fruitless.

His hands dipped into his pockets where the air grew colder. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and in the distance he could make out a figure sitting on a bench. His pace picked up a bit, but he kept it steady to not look desperate. The closer he came, the more he realized that perhaps he wasn't the only one that was in the park. It was public property after all.

Crossing closer, Kaiba slowed almost to a standstill when he was a few feet away. The person the bench seemed occupied at staring at the grass. Their knees were tucked up close to their chest, the feet slipping off of the bench. Eventually, they unfolded and Kaiba's eyes met a strikingly familiar gaze.

"Yami."

Yami's brows rose. "Ah, Kaiba. Isn't this a surprise?"

The brunet didn't budge where he stood. His eyes roved around the emptiness of the park, and then back to Yami thinking maybe that his old rival would simply disappear with a blink of the eye. "Yes. Very. I expected to be alone in this place."

"You don't look like you need any more loneliness," said Yami.

Kaiba shrugged, and he finally willed himself to sit down beside Yami, even if there was a space between them on the bench. Kaiba crossed his legs and looked out into the darkness. This wasn't the company that he planned to keep that evening, but anything would suffice for nothing. And he didn't have to pay for Yami, either.

"What are you doing here this late?" Yami asked, breaking the silence.

"I couldn't sleep," Kaiba said. "I took a walk to clear my head."

Yami hummed. "A long walk from where you live," he mentioned. "You drove here first?"

"I did," Kaiba pulled his phone from his pocket, scrolling through the screens as if looking for some other entertainment. He wasn't sure what made him uncomfortable being around Yami. Perhaps it was all the craziness that had ensued so many years ago. And it had been so long ago; why did it even matter?

Kaiba didn't doubt that his old rival had deduced the reasoning, yet he still felt the need to say: "I had another reason, but it was futile."

"Ah," Yami couldn't keep his legs crossed for long, and he switched to pulling one leg up onto the bench and reaching his arms around it. "I almost expected a challenge when I saw you."

Kaiba snorted. "Are we still that petty?"

"I believe you still have feelings." Yami said. It made Kaiba flinch, because the words could be interpreted in a completely different context. It took a few seconds to recalibrate.

"I still carry my deck on me," he said, pocketing his phone. He went to stand up again. "Walk with me?" he asked. Yami stared at him for a few moments, contemplating, before standing up as well. And for the next while, they just walked without saying a word. They followed the main paths and kept going, with no destination in mind. There was a good separation between them, but Kaiba kept glancing over.

"You could tell I was lonely," Kaiba finally said. "Loneliness tends to find loneliness."

"Yes it does," Yami said. "Time is not kind."

Kaiba shrugged. "I never found myself around many people. I don't entirely see the need to start now."

"Then maybe we shouldn't be walking," Yami replied. "Maybe we should part ways just up ahead."

"I'm still not tired," Kaiba replied. "And we're not friends, if I recall. We're still rivals; this is just a…fluke of an opportunity."

Yami smirked. "Reading your opponent?"

"Yes. Let's call it that."

In the middle of the walk, Yami stopped and turned to look at Kaiba. He crossed his arms at the elbow and cocked his head to the side slightly. Both of them had hardly changed, maybe they changed clothes, changed their hair, but they were still entities well remembered from the past. When Kaiba turned to look back, it dawned on Yami that the tiredness was more than skin deep. It was a way of life for him, and it had changed Kaiba's features just the slightest. People had called him 'ageless' yet he could see the sharpness in his cheeks and the deepness in his eyes. Something only one who had been around for so long could take note of.

"You know…this is fruitless as well," Kaiba said. "I need to be getting home. I should get to sleep now."

Yami's arms dropped to his side. "If only I could read your thoughts."

A little laugh formed in Kaiba. "That would be your greatest dream. Take care…maybe we'll do this again in a few years or so."

Kaiba gave no wave or no complete good-bye although it was implied. He just kept walking, down and away from the scene and almost disappearing around the bend in the park as it aimed to go back to his car.

As he kept going, he kept his head down as the wind was pushing against his face. Kaiba closed his jacket, picking up his pace to hurry back to his car. The fast pace he was going up, plus the loudness of his shoes as they clicked against the ground. He didn't sense anything until hot breath was on his neck and a knife slice through his jacket and cut lightly on his side.

Turning, he grabbed at the wrist of whoever it was, and went to toss them across his shoulder. Instead, he was shoved down to the ground after his ankle was dragged out from under him. An elbow pressed into his back and the knife was at his throat. "I knew you would come…."the fanatical voice said. "And with no safety….you knew..."

Whoever was attacking him smelt like they'd come from a bar. Kaiba thrashed around until he was able to turn over, the knife cutting by his nose and down his cheek. All the self-defense he learned seemed to have flown out the window. Still, he reached his hand up trying to stab his pointed fingers into the person's throat. The knife was swung at Kaiba's hand, and the CEO tried to grab it away and yank at it. Blood started running down his wrist. It was taking all of his strength to not let the knife severe through his hand. He flung it to the side and went to crawl out from underneath the grip. The knife went to stab into his side, cutting deep enough to make him cry out. In response, he was struck across the face. Once, twice. It was involuntary that he let out cries.

Before Kaiba was able to comprehend what was going on, the weight was off his chest and the knife was away from him. Part of him was still dazed and staring at the starry night sky. Then it made him wonder what had drove the attacker away.

Forcing himself up on his elbows, Kaiba's hazy eyes searched for the source that stopped everything. That was where he saw that Yami that was on his knees but there was no one else that was around. A few raindrops were hitting against his head and soaking his shoulders. Kaiba got up, wincing and pressing his hand over his side where he was bleeding. Still, he stood up and went over to where Yami was and knelt down.

"Are you alright, Kaiba?" Yami asked, breathless.

"Fine. You didn't have to do that," Kaiba said. "But…I thank you."

Yami went to rise, and he was pulling his jacket over his head. That was when Kaiba noticed a heavy blood stain expanding on Yami's breast. The tri-colored haired boy bent over, his hand going up to the wound and he leaned over. Kaiba held onto his shoulder. "Gah…"

Forgetting his own wounds, Kaiba reached for his phone and started dialing, pressing it to his ear. He could hear the heavy, labored breathing. Then, before he could even get anyone on the line, Yami fell over onto his side. He was blanching, with sweat beading on his forehead and his body almost in spasm as he imagined that Yami was dying. On his behalf.

He started replying to the person on the line; not so much in coherent sentences, but instead in yells of fear. He rolled Yami over, and he saw where his chest was hardly moving. They instructed him to perform CPR. After a second, he dropped the phone and looked to Yami and leaned over, pressing his lips against Yami's and starting to breath.

There was blood in Kaiba's mouth from where he was struck, and then he could feel blood in Yami's mouth. The copper washed back some, down his throat. It stuck to his lips, along with Yami's saliva. All he could imagine was the friends that Yami had always had with him. He could imagine them breathing down his neck and blaming him for Yami being injured. Even as he tired his hardest. That was when he saw that the blood was bubbling around the wound.

Yami was still breathing lightly. Despite his bloody hands, Kaiba began pressing against Yami's chest, and then returning back to breathing. All the while he thought, for a second, that maybe he was kissing Yami. He wasn't really sure why he was thinking about that. There were more things that were important than that at the moment.

"Come on," Kaiba said. "Stay with me."

Loud sirens blared in the distance, and red lights could be seen in the distance. When he looked back, he could see Yami's eyes opened in slats and looked up to Kaiba, over and over. "Kai..ba…"

"Shut up," Kaiba said. He pulled off his coat and put it over Yami to protect him from the rain. "Something's wrong in your lung."

Then his eyes closed again. It was just about the time that the ambulance was pulling in. Kaiba was pulling his wetted bangs out of his face and leaned over, stuck in what he should do as the medical personnel came over.

Kaiba stood up, pulling his coat over his head, feeling the sting in his own wounds now. But he said nothing, and wondered what he was going to do about the whole mess.

He wondered what he was going to do now that the past was shoved back into his life.

* * *

A/N: So, I hope that it was a decent opening. Originally it was going to be a oneshot, but the action made it a little more than that. So we'll see how this goes. Tell me what you think. Till late, KenSan out!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This has been a long time coming folks. And let me tell you, Kaiba doesn't like me...X3 I think he's punishing me for the stab because I have a sharp pain in my side. Probs a kidney stone but hey...still ironic. Anyways. Onwards?

* * *

Chapter 2.

It was long after the attack that Kaiba felt winded. His head was down, as if he couldn't pick it up, and his fingers were knit together, his forehead resting against them. The palm on his right hand was stitched up, but now it was searing in pain. He was sure that his side would soon be joining the chorus where the nurse had finished suturing the wound and covered it up.

The place was a mess with panic, yet he sat perfectly still on the edge of the gurney, waiting for answers to the questions buzzing around in his head. After a quarter of an hour, Kaiba lowered his hands and gazed at the pair in matching blue uniforms approaching him.

"Kaiba-sama?" he nodded his head and pressed his hands onto his thighs, rubbing the butts of his palms against his knees. "Were you the one who made the first call?"

"Yes." Immediately, he squared his shoulders and straightened his back despite the pain that rippled in him while doing so.

"This call was about Mutou-san?"

"Correct." Kaiba was keeping his words fairly minced. He noticed that the second officer had wandered away, and he curious where the man was going.

The first officer cleared his throat. "How was it the two of you came about this situation?"

It occurred to Kaiba that he hadn't made an attempt to explain what had happened to anyone, and only let his injuries do the talking. Part of him assumed it was the wounded pride that was keeping him quiet. The rest, he supposed, was the shock from the whole of the moment.

He removed the towel from his shoulders and set it on the bed. Now, he was mostly dry from the rain. "We had met in the park, and were speaking; it was short, we parted ways. I was caught off guard."

"Someone attacked you?"

"Yes," he said, and he was doing his best to hold back a sigh of exasperation. "I was struggling, and then Mutou intervened." The old habit of treating Yami as a rival had arisen once again. Noting his tone, Kaiba cleared his throat and tried to hide the bitterness. "I assumed he had fought off the attacker."

"Then you called for help?"

"I saw the wound in his chest and knew he needed help."

The officer was writing as he engaged Kaiba. He continued to ask questions about the man, if the man had spoken to either Kaiba or Yami, what he looked like. Believing they were finished, Kaiba returned to his pensive position. There was no reason for them to ask if he had any enemies. It would have been such a long list that he would have the Domino police scouring for weeks on end. There was no need; they would just go off what they had.

Shortly after, they walked away. Kaiba wondered if they would also speak to Yami and ask him about what happened. Then, he wondered if they would even be able to. How was Yami? Was he even still alive? The police didn't seem too pressed about what happened. Maybe he was just so frantic in his own mind that it didn't matter.

"Kaiba-sama." Making out the voice, Kaiba once again raised his head and gave a look of relief, his shoulders flattening, when seeing his head of security wade through the ER. "Good to see you're alright."

"I've been better."

Roland held his arm out, passing Kaiba a suit jacket. He more than willingly pulled it on, still cold from the rain. "I called Mokuba."

"And?"

"He's catching the first flight out of LAX."

Kaiba 'hmphed' as he straightened out the collar of the jacket. "He shouldn't be abandoning his studies. I'm fine."

Roland remained wordless, especially as a doctor approached them with papers in his hand. After a few brief words, he handed Kaiba a clipboard, signing himself out of the hospital, and he was given discharge papers along with two prescriptions. Roland took both.

"I'll make sure to get this filled."

"Don't bother," Kaiba retorted. "It's not that bad."

There was a smirk on Roland's face. The doctor was already walking away, but Kaiba had stood, jarring the wound but not wincing, and following the doctor. "Sensei." He called. The doctor stopped and turned.

"Yes, Kaiba-sama?"

"Do you know anything about Mutou-san?"

"I'm sorry," he said. And briefly, Kaiba tensed at the words. "You'll have to talk to someone else. He was taken to the operating room, I don't have any information."

That was more relieving than what Kaiba was expecting. As far as he knew, Yami was still alive somewhere in the hospital.

Roland had come up from behind as Kaiba stood, almost stunned in his place, as the doctor walked away. Really, Kaiba was only pensive, and that was the worst of it. Roland settled a hand on Kaiba's shoulder, but he brushed it off and started walking out of the hospital. He wanted to stay, but he didn't know how long Yami was going to be in surgery. It was best not to linger—he resigned to the fact that could find out that information in the morning.

* * *

The red-eye flight from Los Angeles arrived at five in the morning in the Tokyo airport. Mokuba was rubbing his eyes as he went through the terminal and towards the lobby. He'd only brought a carry-on—not because he didn't have much time to stay, but he knew that his brother would be sending him back as soon as possible, probably scolding him for skipping out on his studies.

He sat outside LAX airport for some fifteen minutes before a sleek black car pulled up, a driver getting out and holding up a small sign with Mokuba's name on it. The younger Kaiba went over, sliding into the back of the car and setting down his bag. The driver was quiet, and the started the nearly hour drive back to Domino.

Along the way, Mokuba nearly fell asleep in the car, just like he nearly fell asleep on the plane before he had to get off for a connecting flight in Honolulu. They called it red-eye for a reason, and he chuckled at the humor, bringing a small rise in the driver for a bit of the way, but it died down to a silent news report on the radio, praying that he heard nothing about his brother on the way there.

"Could you change the station?" he near whispered.

The station flipped to something playing a soft tune. That was better than nothing, and it lulled him into a state of semi-sleep, which was good enough.

When they pulled up to the estate, the rain had started again. Mokuba didn't mind it, grabbing his bag and running up the walk and through the door, looking back to see the care that was driving around the back. He closed the door, locking it behind him.

The hallways were dark, but he was sure that if his brother was able, he would be up and beginning a morning routine. That was what was worrisome; Roland gave him no details, just told him what had happened.

Mokuba kicked off his shoes and set down his bag by the door, worrying about it later. "Nii-sama!" he called, walking through the parlor and towards the kitchen. "Seto nii-sama!"

It was as if his words echoed off the halls. Rounding the kitchen, into the dining room, it didn't seem as though the home had been touched by his brother that morning, except for the fact the he could smell coffee.

Mokuba went upstairs, thundering, and through the halls to the door that led to Kaiba's room. It was closed, which was a good sign. Mokuba rapped on the door. "Nii-sama?"

After several moments, Mokuba pressed his ear to the door, and then opened it up. Kaiba's room was dark, the bed neatly made up. There seemed to be no sign that Kaiba had even been there. Someone put a hand on his shoulder, and Mokuba jumped, turning quickly.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba-kun…"

"Roland…."Mokuba took in a deep breath and backed away. "Holy crap."

"I didn't mean to startle," Roland said. "I tried calling you."

Mokuba stared at him blankly before pulling out his phone. "Oh, I must've left it on airplane mode," he said, changing the settings. "Where nii-sama?"

"He's already left." Mokuba checked the time.

"He left early," he murmured. "You didn't go in with him?"

"I was waiting for you," Roland said. "I needed to make sure you got here safe."

'Yeah, everything was fine," he said. "I'm just…going to get going there then. I can sleep later." He said, shoving his phone in his pocket. Mokuba didn't move from his place, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess he's okay, huh?"

"It's good you came," Roland said. "He's just as he always is."

Mokuba chuckled and went down the stairs. Roland was shortly behind, buttoning up his suit jacket while Mokuba slipped into a pair of shoes. "You mind if I caught a ride with you?" Mokuba asked.

"Of course." And they went out the door.

* * *

Entering the Kaiba Corporation headquarters seemed like one of those tasks that Kaiba put a little too much effort into. He went into the building early, and even at that, he was wearing sunglasses to hide the bruises. His wounded pride was, unfortunately, still showing.

The skeleton crew gave him a few nods, but Kaiba wasn't paying too much attention. By the time he got upstairs, he was more than willing to sit down. He didn't think the wound on his side was that bad, at least until he started moving around.

When Kaiba sat, he took off the sunglasses and pressed his hand to his side. He turned on the light on his desk and booted up his computer, immediately getting into his work so that he didn't have to think about the pain. Roland had filled the prescriptions, one for the pain management, the other which was an antibiotic to make sure he didn't get an infection in the wound. He was taking the antibiotic, but he was resisting trying to take the pain medication.

All the while, he was staring at the phone on his desk, the phone for all his professional calls, wondering if he should dial up the hospital and see if he could find out any information about Yami. After some time, he turned around the phone. But that didn't matter, because he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone and set it on the desk beside him.

It was so tempting. And Kaiba tried to convince himself, in whatever way possible, that his work was more important. More important than what? The person who risked their life to save his? It was such a mental dilemma on his part.

There was a knock on the door, and Kaiba raised a brow, staring at his door. It was 6:45 in the morning. He was pretty sure that he didn't have any appointments that early. Not even that—his secretary wasn't even there that early. He supposed that it was Roland.

"Come."

The door opened, and Kaiba gazed up, surprised to see Mokuba standing in front of him. The CEO stood and went around his desk towards the door. Part of him was stunned, but he knew that Mokuba was coming home from what Roland had told him. It was still stunning.

"Nii-sama…"

"You're here early."

Mokuba shrugged. "I got the first flight I could," he came over to his brother and set his hands on Kaiba's shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he said. "Just fine."

Mokuba had brought his hand up to his brother's face, his fingers just over the cut on his cheek and the bruises around his eyes and down his jaw. Kaiba stepped back and turned away from Mokuba, almost indifferent.

"You don't seem fine."

"I have things on my mind," Kaiba said.

Mokuba grabbed the chair that was sitting off the side of his brother's office and dragged it over by the desk, sitting down in it like he always did. Except, Mokuba was looking up to his brother with much smaller, less sparkling eyes than the child he once was.

"What kinds of things?" Mokuba asked, spurring his brother to talk.

"Work," Kaiba replied. He didn't want Mokuba to know much about how he got hurt.

"I was expecting you like…bed-ridden or something. Roland scared the crap out of me when he called."

Kaiba looked over at Mokuba when he sat that, his eyes finally showing something more than disinterest. He was hiding most of his face behind his bandaged hand, regretting that he was putting any pressure against it. "What did he say?"

"He told me that you were stabbed." Mokuba said. "That he was going to the hospital and didn't know much else."

"Ah."

Mokuba bit his lip. The older they had gotten, the harder it was for Mokuba to talk to his brother than it was when he was a child. He wasn't entirely sure why; maybe it was just because Kaiba seemed so alone that he had grown accustomed to not talking to anyone.

"I was thinking after this semester coming home," Mokuba said.

"I thought you liked UCLA."

"I did," Mokuba said. "But…I mean...I don't know. I can have someone else head the North American branch and just…come back here. Work as the VP again."

Kaiba was shaking his head. "No, I need you over there."

Mokuba frowned, and lowered his head. "Well, I just…don't want to be there anymore." Immediately, the tension started to grow in the room. Mokuba knew that he shouldn't have brought it up. He was twiddling with his thumbs and the buttons on his shirt now. Kaiba still was wordless. "I broke up with my girlfriend."

Kaiba's brows rose again. "The one that you were going to bring back?"

"Yeah…"Mokuba sighed. "She was…sleeping around with some other people on campus. I was just chump change, I guess."

That was when Kaiba stood up, pushing his chair back and pulling it over so that he was sitting across from the raven-haired boy. The elder Kaiba sat down, wincing as he did, briefly covering the wound hidden beneath his dress shirt.

"You shouldn't be working." Mokuba said. "Take a sick day."

"I'm fine," Kaiba protested. "It's nothing. Just bruising…"

Mokuba chuckled, shaking his head. There was no way that Kaiba would compromise his pride. "I just don't want you to push yourself and hurt yourself more."

It was as if he was still berated by the younger version of his brother; as though Mokuba had never grown up from the ten year old boy hanging onto his coattails and looking out to others. The little boy with the big grey eyes and the messy hair. Now, he looked at least a little more refined; there was little to say for a college student. His dress pants needed a good ironing, and his button up shirt was covered by what looked like an old army jacket. His hair was a little tamer, but it was still long in the back, although tied up.

"I'll be okay," Kaiba said again. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and he looked to Mokuba. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He asked Mokuba.

The boy flinched. "What do you mean?"

"I know that…you were worried. But you could have always picked up the phone and called to ask how I was."

"I wanted to come home," said Mokuba, shrugging. "I just was feeling homesick, and me being worried about you didn't help."

Kaiba could look at his brother, and he could sense that there was something wrong with the way that Mokuba was keeping his head bowed; the way that his eyes hardly met his brother's. The elder Kaiba rested his hand on his cheek. How could he word it?

"How long are you staying?" Kaiba finally asked when there was nothing else that he could say.

Mokuba shrugged. "Three or four days," he said. "I already told my professors, and at least the weekend is coming up. I was going to go back on Sunday."

"Alright," Kaiba said. "As long as you don't get behind."

Mokuba shook his head. Once again, they were across from each other without saying a word, but Mokuba wasn't giving his elder eye contact. It was something that Kaiba wasn't used to. Mokuba always seemed jutted forward, ready to tell him everything that was going on in America, talking about the branch that was over in the States and ask him for advice. Sometimes, not stopping for air when he spoke.

"No, I won't." Mokuba didn't want to stand up, but he felt uncomfortable to stay.

They didn't have to. Something else interjected. A knock came at the door, and Kaiba called for I open. Mokuba's eyes roved over.

"Oh…my apologies Kaiba-saichou. I didn't realize you were in a meeting."

"What do you need?" asked Kaiba, giving no indication one way or another.

"Um…nothing that can't wait," the man said, bowing. There was a folder in his arms, but he was backing out while bowed. Mokuba had stood up this time.

"No, it's okay. Tezuka-san, right?" asked Mokuba, brushing past the accounts manager, bowing as well. "I was just leaving. I'll see you later, nii-sama?"

Kaiba gave a slow nod. When Mokuba walked out, his shoulders straightened a little bit and he got up, moving the chair back and sat down, motioning for Tezuka to do the same. But as the man spoke, Kaiba's mind drifted between Yami and Mokuba, concerned for both, but he didn't let it show.

In the time since Yami had been in the hospital, he'd had just one visitor that knew of what happened. And even at that, Yugi knew very few d

* * *

etails as he sat by his counterpart. Yugi bit his lip and waited for Yami to wake up and tell him what happened. But only the wounds were doing the talking.

A bandage was over the deep wound in his chest, a clear chest tube coming out just below. There was a mask over his nose and mouth. Maybe it was the pallor that made it worse. It was as if Yami was going to fade into the sheets below him. He was wiry, his small limbs coiled close to his body and his edges seeming sharp.

Every now and then, Yugi would lean over and hold onto Yami's hand, rubbing gently. "Yami…"he muttered. "I don't believe Kaiba would do this..."

It was getting late in the day, and Yugi realized that he was going to have to leave eventually, or the staff would end up kicking him out. A lot of his energy was expended to just letting go of Yami's hand and telling himself that Yami would still be there in the morning, and that everything was going to be okay.

The squealing of the chair seemed to reverberate against the quiet walls. He flinched, both his hands still covering Yami's. Like they were glued together. "I just can't believe this is happening," he said, his voice shaking with sadness. "Not now. Why now…?"

Hearing the clean sound of shoes clacking against the floor, Yugi let go of Yami's hand and walked away, thinking that it was a doctor coming to tell him that Yami needed rest and that he would have to go. He was surprised, looking over his shoulder, to see Kaiba holding onto the doorway and gazing at the bed.

"Kaiba…"

The brunet was wordless. His hands were in his pockets, and he took very careful steps. The day had not been kind on his wounds. His side was flaring in pain, going throughout his stomach like a bolt. He couldn't bend over, and until he sat, the effort just to sit was irritating at best.

He stood at the foot of Yami's bed, drawing his hand out and setting it against the foot board. His brows were furrowed. Maybe the night made things looks so different, the way moonlight hid all of the angles.

"What happened?" Yugi demanded. He had grown up, Kaiba thought as he looked over. Still, he was short, and could have passed for a teenager.

"A freak occurrence." Kaiba replied. "Nothing that could have been prevented."

"What does that mean?" Yugi was drawn out of his anger because his confusion took the forefront. Kaiba smirked.

Sucking in a breath, the sharpness pressed against his side, Kaiba set his hand against it, as if he was holding in all the pain. His eyes roved over Yugi, imagining him just like he was all those years ago. "I don't know if or when the police will come," he said. "But we were attacked. Yami…put his life on the line." Kaiba's voice projected anger. His brows furrowed, and he was frowning.

"What did you do?"

Kaiba snorted. "You would ask."

"It's an appropriate question. You were the only other person there."

Kaiba half-lidded his eyes. "I've done nothing; I don't have to explain beyond that."

As he walked around the side, he pulled out a small envelope, sealed, and set it on the bureau just beyond the wires and machines. Probably a place that Yami wouldn't immediately see it, but he wasn't about to place it on Yami's chest.

"So you'll just leave it at that?"

Kaiba drew his hands back in and tucked them in his pockets. "Yes."

"What am I going to tell the others?" Yugi asked. "Because they'll want to know…"

"Tell them whatever you want," Kaiba replied, turning and starting to walk away. "I've done my part."

Yugi stood, stupefied, his eyes flicking between Yami and Kaiba like a tennis match. His hands fell to his sides, limp, and he let out a tough breath of air.

"Well there you go Yami. You're apology I guess. I have to go," Yugi said. "I'll be back after work. Be okay until then…"

* * *

A/N: There you have it. What's up with Mokuba that will make a good sideplot? I have something in mine. In any case...what did Kaiba leave for Yami? And you'll see. Welp, til next time. KenSan out!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: To me, this is quick writing. To you, it may be long. But three rewrites and I'm still taking things out and putting things in. It;s frustrating, and I love this as it in. It's long, but that's not a bad thing, nah? Welp, onwards:

* * *

Chapter 3.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, Kaiba was woken from a dead sleep by pain flaring up his side. It was around that time that he considered taking the pain medication he went so far as to go downstairs and sit at the dining room table before discarding the idea.

There, he sat with a warm coffee cup between his hands, looking out the window to a dapper, ready-to-rain sky as the sun cracked over the horizon. His eyes were heavy, but his body wasn't going to let him go to sleep again. Not that the clock was ticking now. The day was starting. It was practically daylight.

The door opened to the kitchen, and Kaiba didn't even bother to look up. It must have been somewhere close to six. And he was running so late.

"Ohayou, Kaiba-sama." A maid bowed, continuing through the kitchen and into the interior of the house. It was a signal for Kaiba to stand and go. Forgo a shower, dress, and at least get out of the house.

He was in the middle of buttoning up his shirt when he heard something that sounded like a cry. Figuring it was just his imagination working against him, sleep creeping up on him, Kaiba continued, flipping up the collar and grabbing the tie. It started again. With a singular word breaking through the walls:

"No!"

Kaiba pulled down the collar down over the tie and walked out the door, getting closer to Mokuba's room. He had his hand pressed close, ready to knock, but he waited. The word faded off, the house quiet again. The seconds passed to minutes, and he decided that it must have been a bad dream. Mokuba was older now—going in now would make him feel smothered, Kaiba was sure. The CEO went back to finishing up his routine and going downstairs.

He was greeted by Roland, bowing. "Ohayou, Kaiba-sama."

"I know I'm late," he said.

Roland didn't say anything one way or another. "The car is waiting."

Kaiba was buttoning up the suit jacket, pausing at the door. That was when he turned on his heel, grabbing his side for a second and flinching. "Something wrong?"

"I thought I heard something…" Kaiba said. "It's nothing, let's go."

Roland walked out ahead of Kaiba, the CEO grabbing an umbrella when he saw it was raining. He opened it up, looking to the dreary sky and sighing. "Will this rain ever stop?"

The assistant paid no heed to the rhetorical question, and instead he opened the door for Kaiba. The brunet slid in, closing the umbrella and placing it between his knees. When Roland got in, Kaiba leaned forward.

"I need to know when Mutou gains consciousness." He commanded.

"I'll keep tabs on his condition," Roland replied.

"Thank you."

Kaiba leaned back, physically worn out without even having done a thing, and closed his eyes to drift off into a haze of semi-sleep.

* * *

Hours later, Mokuba awoke, rubbing his eye but feeling none the more rested. He wasn't sure why that was the case—he attributed it to the jetlag but knew that he needed to get up. It was past noon after all.

Sluggishly, he got out of bed and went down the stairs, heading for the kitchen and knowing that he would stabilize if he just got the day started. It didn't surprise him that Kaiba was already gone, and the younger contemplated whether or not he should join his brother at work.

He washed up and changed into semi-formal cloths before going downstairs. He made coffee and didn't waste much time drinking it. By the time he got outside, his old car was waiting for him like it had missed him when Mokuba went away.

Walking out, Mokuba smiled to the man who had brought it around. "Thanks," he said, and slid in. He drove in silence, and when he finally got to the building and parked, he was happy that there was a break in the rain as he went up the stairs and into the large glass edifice.

Mokuba muttered good mornings to the staff who were bowing their heads to him as he passed through. He worked his way up to the top of the building, knocking on the door to his brother's office before going in. Opening the door revealed that Kaiba wasn't there and a secretary was setting something on his desk.

"Have you seen Kaiba-saichou?" he asked.

The woman nodded. "He's making rounds."

Rounds. Like a doctor. Mokuba always thought that it was strange that his brother made rounds around the building, inspecting each of the departments, asking basic questions, taking notes about what was going on and leaving feedback. There was no telling where he was in the building. There were far too many places. Mokuba just started from the top and went down. Kaiba always tended to start at the bottom and work his way up. Hopefully, they would meet in the middle.

Along the way, he met up with old faces, making idle chitchat, never completely focused on one thing at one time. His always seemed to drift to someone else, and he never completely made eye contact. It wasn't as if anyone really noticed. They went back to their computers, files, and projects.

Mokuba had made it several floors down before he saw his brother through a small stretch of doorways. As always, Kaiba never seemed to slow his pace. A phone was cradled against his shoulder, a pen and a pad of paper leaning in the crook of his arm. There was a tablet underneath, feeling unused. It was almost amusing to see his brother look like he was; something had changed over the years. Glasses hung at the tip of Kaiba's nose, and he pushed them up.

Mokuba crossed through the offices and went up to his brother, turning his head to try and catch Kaiba's ever wandering eyes. When the elder brother caught the younger's gaze, he offered a brief wave. He was trying to get off the phone, but Mokuba wasn't entirely sure. His French was touch and go.

In the meanwhile, Mokuba took the notepad and tablet, taking a look at what Kaiba was writing down. His brother wrote in personal shorthand, often electing to write in English instead of Japanese. Each department had a heading with bullet points below it. However, as he flipped through the pages, he noticed that the letters seemed shaky. Like he was having trouble writing them.

"_Nous serons en contact. Oui, adieu_." (1)

Mokuba's brow rose. "What was that?"

"The European division." Kaiba said clipped. His voice had no inflections, not even tiredness or pain. "I may have to fly out to Paris soon."

"How soon?"

Kaiba held his hand out for the notepad. Mokuba gave it back. "Depends on how things work out in their market," Kaiba looked over to Mokuba, and seen the disinterest. "That's not what you're here to talk about, is it?"

"I'm just here for you."

"Ah," he tilted his head towards the elevator. "I'm done with this floor, c'mon."

"You're the only person I know who does these checks personally."

Kaiba shrugged, and kept his eyes closed like he regretted doing so. "You don't?"

"I get too busy with other details." Mokuba said. It was like he was competing with his brother to see who could do the job better. "How long you been at this?"

"About two hours, give or take," Kaiba said, scratching just over his brow.

Mokuba held his hands out. "Go sit down, I'll finish this up." Kaiba did so with reluctance. "Go upstairs. I'll be up there when I'm done."

Kaiba nodded, getting in the elevator with Mokuba. They hit separate buttons, but the elevator started going down regardless. "Are you okay?" Kaiba asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You were…talking in your sleep this morning."

"Oh, I didn't know I did that. I was having a bad dream. I always get them when I'm jetlagged." Mokuba laughed.

Kaiba hoped that was true. The elevator opened at the next floor, and the elder tempted to follow the younger, but he knew Mokuba would have something to say about that. But Mokuba wasn't getting off either. He was staring at the floor—or more specifically—Kaiba's shoes. "Something wrong?"

"There's…blood on your shoe."

And indeed, there were a few drops on the tip of Kaiba's shoe. The CEO was just as surprised, and he unbuttoned the suit jacket and saw where the silk dress shirt was stained with a patch of blood. He wondered how it made it to his shoe.

* * *

Jou had come late in the day, not having been in town when he heard the news. Now, standing in front of Yami, the surrealism of it hit home. He was rubbing the back of his neck and pacing. Yugi had offered him a chair, there were two in the room, but Jou wasn't having it. There was something agitated, and he was like a tiger circling in its cage.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Yugi asked.

"I'm jus'…man, Kaiba's a dick. Did he really say all shit?"

"Well I mean, he didn't say much at all." Yugi said. "But yeah, that's the stuff that he did say."

"So like…he didn't fess up to it?"

"He didn't say he did it and he didn't say he didn't do it," Yugi replied. "He was real…in the middle about all of it. Come to think of it he seemed…less reposed."

"Less what..?" Yugi didn't know if it was the word, or the word choice. He didn't think on it long.

"He was himself. More quiet, but he wasn't thinking. He was just like…staring."

Jou frowned. "You ain't takin' his side?"

"No," Yugi put his hands up in defense. "I just think maybe he's just shocked and doesn't know what's going on either. We need to give it time before we jump to conclusions." Every time he looked at Yami though, he could feel a small twinge of anger rise in him. Not enough to act on, but inwardly he was blaming Kaiba just a little bit.

"Yeah well…unfortunately Kaiba is a smart son-of-a-gun. I doubt he's all 'shocked'." Jou waved his hands around. He finally stopped, leaning against the bureau beside Yami. His hand was on top of the letter. He looked down at it, noticing the very straight handwriting on the top of it. "Wha's this?"

"Hm?" Jou showed it to Yugi. "Oh, Kaiba left that."

"He did? And you ain't read it?" Yugi shrugged. "Well, I'll do the dirty work then," Jou said. He had his finger slid under the flap, but Yugi was already jumping out of his seat.

"No, c'mon Jou. Enough of that…why don't you just sit down and we can…you know…talk to Yami or something."

Jou looked at the letter, and it was like it was calling to him to open. It wasn't often that he thought to go against Yugi's request. But this was one of them. At least until he could hear a small, crackled groaning. Like someone blowing into a microphone too quickly.

"Yami?" Yugi jumped up at the thought, cupping Yami's hand. The older of the pair wasn't fully awake, nor his eyes open, but he was there. Yugi could just feel it in him. After several terse moments, Yami gripped his fingers around Yugi's hand.

His eyes were slats, roving around, taking in the surroundings from his back. An immediate look of confusion had arisen, followed by just a bit of panic. Not enough to rise up, not enough to ask 'where am I' like every movie cliché, but enough to seem scared all of a sudden.

"It's okay. You're in the hospital, everything's alright. You've been hurt."

And that seemed to register pretty fast with the man. His eyes were still wide, searching for something that he could hold onto. Something that made sense in the upside-down world. The last thing he remembered was blue. Deep blue—deep blue of the sky, and of Kaiba's eyes looking down towards him as he pulled away, blood covering his lips, panic stretching over his face.

He wasn't really in pain. His body was numbed, though it hurt to breathe too hard, or too fast. He tried to keep it as even as possible. He tried to make everything as even as possible; blinking, breathing, thinking, listening.

"Hey, Jou, I'm going to go get the doctor, okay?" Yugi said, going out of the room. Yami was reaching out towards him, or at least his fingers were trying to.

Jou had tried to set the card back on the bureau, and didn't notice it when it had fell off by the edge of it. He may have cared a little more about it if he wasn't so flustered by Yami's red eyes looking on him.

"Yugi'll be back soon," he said. "He's just gonna get the doctor."

Yami seemed to understand, and was trying to speak but seemed to be regretting it as he did. Jou had sat down finally, trying to comfort Yami until Yugi got back. For some reason, he just became more uncomfortable each passing moment that Yami was staring at him for more comforting words. If they were comforting words.

The doctor came in, assessing over Yami briefly, speaking with Yugi about a few things that went over Jou's head.

"You're going to be okay," Yugi said, after the doctor had left. "Nothing real permanent, it's just going to take time."

Yami nodded, and seemed to drift off, looking over towards Jou like he was trying to tell Jou something. All it was doing was making the blond more uncomfortable in his seat until he thought that he was there long enough to leave politely. As he stood though, he got the stomach to ask:

"So…what happened?"

Yami seemed almost relieved, and then bored, when hearing the question. He looked away and reached up, pulling the mask away from his face. "There was a fight…"he said. His voice was incredibly raspy. "And…Kaiba and me…."

"No, don't talk," Yugi said. He was gazing at Jou, stern. "You don't have to explain anything…"

"It's okay," Yami said, offering a brief smile. "…I saved him, and then he saved…me…from the night…"Yami started coughing, and a machine somewhere close started beeping at them. Yugi pulled the mask back up over Yami's mouth and nose.

"Now stop that," Yugi ordered. "No more."

"Sorry Yami," Jou squeezed Yami's shoulder. "I'm going to get going, a'right? Hope you get better man."

He walked out, and Yugi lowered his head before looking back at Yami with an almost forced smile. Yami had barely said anything, yet he felt like he saw something in the way that Yami was. "It's good to know what was going on," Yugi said. He grabbed Yami's hand and squeezed tight, but Yami's hand was limp in the smaller of the twos. But still, Yugi held on.

There was something that Yami wasn't telling him. What did he mean by 'saved him from the night'? Yugi just figured that the drugs had his friend confused.

* * *

Somewhere during the car ride, Kaiba nearly passed out. The CEO said he wasn't sure, because he hadn't noticed when exactly it was that he started bleeding. Mokuba had forced his shirt open and pulled up the white undershirt, looking where there was even heavier blood seeping through the bandage and down the waist of his pants. Mokuba didn't even want to look at what was underneath the bandage, he was sure that it was bad. They may not have noticed until it had gone through four layers of cloth.

"Nii-sama…I told you that you needed to stay home."

Kaiba smirked. He was laying on his side in the ER, a pad of gauze pressed against his side. He had bled through one already. "This is embarrassing…"

"If you would have just listened to me…"Mokuba said. "Are they ever going to get to us?" Mokuba looked back to the rest of the ER and the busy that was going around. Nurses, doctors, people. Just everything was almost overwhelming.

A nurse came up and removed the gauze, inspecting the wound. "Ripped the stitches?" she asked, almost snide. "I'll get your doctor, Kaiba-san. Get you patched up and good as new."

Mokuba raised a brow at that response, almost sneering. "Okay…"when she was gone, he stuck his tongue out. "At least it's not bleeding that bad."

It was around that time that Roland opened up the curtain and closed it again. "Sorry to interrupt."

Kaiba shook his head. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Mutou is awake." Roland sat down. "Are you okay?"

Kaiba shot up, but regretted it, pressing against his side to hold down the gauze and keep the blood in. It seemed to open up the wound just a little bit. "Stay down…."Mokuba held onto his arm. "Mutou? You mean like Yugi?"

"Yes. He and Mutou Yami were in an attack," said Roland. "Mutou is still hospitalized."

Mokuba held his hand out to his brother before folding his hands into his lap. "How is Yami?"

"He's doing well. He's conscious and stable," Roland said, and he crossed his arms. "Is there anything you want me to do?"

Kaiba was quiet, as if contemplative. "Not right now," he said. "I've done what I wanted so far."

Roland nodded. "Alright," he got up. "I'll be waiting outside when this is finished. Take it easy, sir." Roland said. Kaiba took that and laid his head down, closing his eyes.

"Why were you in the park with Yami?" Mokuba asked.

"I was out; we ran into each other."

Part of that little kid was in Mokuba's voice as he let out a soft: "Oh." It made Kaiba wonder what exactly Mokuba was expecting, and the elder opened his eyes.

"Oh what?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I just didn't think it would be that simple. I figured there was a reason."

"No, just luck."

"So you haven't been keeping track of any of them? Yugi and Jou and all them?" Mokuba asked.

"Other than their dueling careers? No, should I?"

"Well," Mokuba shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I keep in touch with them and everything. I just never thought about you ever talking to them if you didn't have to."

"It wasn't much of a moment Mokuba," Kaiba said. "What are you driving at?"

"Well it's just that Yami…Yami's been having trouble lately. Yugi hasn't actually seen Yami in over two years. Did you know that?"

Kaiba processed what Mokuba said. It didn't seem like that striking of news, but then he thought about how easily he had turned up finding Yami in the dead of night. It was impressive, if that was the least there was to be said about it.

"No." And that was that. At least to Mokuba that's how it seemed.

"Did you really just go out in the middle of the night? That's not like you…why?" Mokuba was more asking himself than anyone else. Kaiba would have answered, if not interrupted by a doctor who spoke quick, inspected the wound, and then patched Kaiba up. He wasn't being let go just yet, too much blood loss they said. He needed to stay overnight to recuperate. Kaiba rolled his eyes at that; Mokuba shook his head at his brother.

After a long bout of silence between the brothers, Kaiba said: "I was lonely and…pent up."

"Did you…do you mean like…sex?"

Kaiba gave a 'yes-and-no' turn of the head. His hands folded over his stomach and he sighed. "Don't worry. Nothing happened. I didn't even end up meeting them; I realized how ridiculous it was when I got halfway there."

Mokuba had his nose curled and was looking away from his brother. "So why didn't you turn around?"

"I…don't know, Mokuba," but there was something in Kaiba's eyes that said otherwise. Like he had that answer, down to a finite reasoning, but he didn't want to waste the breath. It was the kind of answer that maybe Mokuba was supposed to presume, just from the direction of the conversation. "Why did you break up with her?"

"I told you: she cheated on me."

"A week ago, you were ready to bring her home."

"Yeah well, she ended up going to some other guy," Mokuba said. His voice was rough. Kaiba wasn't sure why Mokuba was getting so angry.

"You had just found out?"

"Yes!" he said. "I just didn't know what to do."

"Is that why you're running away from school?" Kaiba asked. "Because of her?"

"No," Mokuba replied, softening. "I told you that already, too."

"Then what's wrong? What aren't you telling me?"

Mokuba shrugged. "Nothing, nii-sama."

"Don't lie to me, Mokuba." He said, watching the way that Mokuba was deflecting, not making eye contact, looking enclosed with his arms around himself. "Look me in the eye."

"Nii-sama! Why are you worried about me? Worry about you, or this is going to keep happening." Mokuba was pointing his hand towards Kaiba's wound. The brunet heard the deflection.

"Because I know you. And I love you, Mokuba, don't lie to me."

"It doesn't matter," Mokuba sighed. "I'm just…you know…being too much."

"Moki…"Kaiba forced himself to sit upright. He could see Mokuba trying to push him back, standing up and hovering his hands over his brother. The brunet gave as soft a look as he could without the pain striking crease in his face. "She said something to you."

"It doesn't matter."

"But she did," Kaiba was affirmative.

Mokuba shrugged. "I guess it's an American thing. It's what I get for dating an American girl."

"Mokuba…"

"She called me gay, alright?"

And the dramatics seemed to be much, when Kaiba heard that. That couldn't be it, could it? he asked himself.

"Are you?" Kaiba asked, quiet.

"No!" he said, lowering his head. "No, I'm not."

"Okay," Kaiba said. "Problem solved."

"It's not that easy."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not you," Mokuba said. His voice strained, and his cheeks were red. "I can't just brush it off. My reputation isn't as strong. I can't be as crass as you about it, okay?"

"People will know better," Kaiba said. "And if they don't, screw them. They'll think what they want."

"Okay." Mokuba said, summing it all up. But his head was still bowed, his arms were still crossed, and his eyes still seemed to be roving around in darkness of some kind. Kaiba wasn't going to pressure anymore out of Mokuba. He looked like he was about to break already.

Kaiba lay back, watching. Eventually, Mokuba coiled out and seemed normal. They talked, quiet chitchat about this-and-that. For the moment, it had cleared up, and soon, Kaiba fell asleep.

Hours passed, and when Kaiba awoke, he was not surprised to be alone. The lights were dimmed, and someone had put an IV into his arm. He looked around the darkness. How had he slept through being moved to a room? Maybe the medication they gave him when he entered.

He got up, using the IV pole for support. He eased the small needle out, wincing as he did. Blood bubbled around the small prick, and Kaiba pressed his fingers to it until it stopped. He left out of the room, licking the blood from his fingers so they weren't later stained, and he continued walking, reading the signs in the halls.

Once to the ICU, Kaiba slipped into the door, surprised the nurse down the hall didn't say anything. He closed the door quietly and walked up to the bed where Yami lay. Even if he was conscious, his eyes were closed. Kaiba liked machines; he liked the way they ticked, but not hospital machines. They were like unwanted limbs growing off a patient through the little vines of IV lines and wires. He had seen Yami before, but in the night it looked worse.

"Now we're alone. At night. What irony," Kaiba said down to take pressure from his wound. He scooted the chair closer.

"Yes…."can through like a hiss underneath the oxygen mask. Red orbs floated across slats. Yami was awake. He slipped down the mask. "We are creatures of…night…"

"We are."

"Thank you," Yami said, putting the mask back on before the machine started beeping again. Kaiba furrowed his brows.

"I don't see anything worth thanking me for."

There was a smile beneath the plastic. A cryptic, almost voluptuous smile. And Kaiba was thinking about Yami's lips again, just as he had when he was trying to keep Yami alive. But now, it made even less sense. Then, in the moment, it was a thought that was along with a million others. Now it was just singular, staring him in the face.

"Get better. Keep your friends away," Kaiba said.

"No worries," Yami said. He pulled it away again. "Tell me…before you leave…what are you thinking?"

"Why?" Kaiba cocked a brow as he stood.

"Curious."

"Still wishing you could read my thoughts?" Kaiba asked. Yami took a few more breaths from the mask and pulling it away to say:

"Perhaps."

"And what makes you think I'll tell you if you ask?"

"Because you have nothing to lose whether you…tell me the truth…or not." Yami's broke, and he sucked in another breath, letting the mask rest as Kaiba wondered what he should say. The brunet kept a poker face as he replied:

"Your lips."

And he was walking out, not sure how he was feeling. Yami was lying, breathing deeply as his lungs would allow him, letting the confusion wane after only a few seconds, and smiling himself. When he looked back, there was no one there. Like Kaiba was a mirage. Maybe he was a mirage, maybe he wasn't. But Yami liked the words.

He wanted to hear them again.

* * *

A/N: Crazy different plotline shtuff going on. There is about...three different important things meshing together over this. And so it is a little confusing, I will say. Please, tell me if its not clear. Right now, its just working itself out.

By the way, this is a;ready past 10,000 words. Fantastic.

1 - We'll be in contact. Yes, goodbye. === generalized translation of what I remember from learning French. Hopefully its not wrong.

Welp, till next time, KenSan out!


End file.
